The Pittsburgh-based Landforce job readiness and land stewardship program combines work readiness training and support with land stewardship projects that provide green infrastructure maintenance, habitat restoration, trail construction and more.
As crew members gain real work experience, they also make progress on their personal and employment goals to secure their next steps in the job market.
“Just finishing our fourth season, Landforce is meeting its goals and transforming people’s lives and the greenspaces that surround us,” said Ilyssa Manspeizer, Executive Director of Landforce.
Over the last four years, 71 people have been part of the Landforce crews learning job skills and doing stewardship projects.
Landforce has--
-- Provided more than 9,000 hours of workforce readiness training; and
-- More than 31,000 hours of land stewardship in Western Pennsylvania.
Over the last two years alone, Landforce has contributed 3,500 hours in green infrastructure installation and maintenance, 1,300 hours in tree and plant care, 3,500 hours building or maintaining trails, and 1,600 hours in other land stewardship tasks.
Over the last two years, 96 percent of the people who finished the program have applied for post-Landforce employment, and all have received interviews.
Ninety-two percent of the crew members have been offered follow-up jobs and 12 months after leaving Landforce, 91 percent of responding crew members are still working (72 percent response rate.)
2018 Accomplishments
Landforce recently released its 2018 Annual Report on the accomplishments of crew members in 2018.
In 2018, Landforce stewardship work expanded from trail building, vacant lot management and place making to also include building structures, including bridges and box steps, as well as green stormwater infrastructure and tree and plant care.
This shift required Landforce to focus training on different skills to meet their clients’ needs.
For the first time, Landforce partnered with for-profit companies, including Alco Parking and Oxford Development, which drove demand for other services without their land stewardship portfolio.
Landforce also partnered with Construction Junction to train crew members to deconstruct buildings for the reuse of materials and another partnership required small excavation machinery skills.
Landforce Land Stewardship Partners include: Alco Parking, Allegheny Land Trust, Audubon Society of Western PA, Construction Junction, Grounded, Grow Pittsburgh, Hilltop Alliance, Housing Authority of Pittsburgh, Icon Development, Larimer Consensus Group, Mistik Construction, Module, Neighborhood Allies, Operation Better Block, Oxford Development, Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh Zoo, Tree Pittsburgh, Trek Development, Triumph Baptist Church and the Western PA Conservancy.
Planning Projects For 2020?
If you have a land stewardship project you think Landforce could help with, Click Here to submit the project description or contact Thomas Guentner at 412-727-6936.
Earlier Sign-Up For Joining 2020 Crew
Landforce will be opening applications to join its crews in 2020 on January 31 to get an earlier jump on land stewardship work in the Spring.
Click Here for a description of the benefits of being a crew member. Click Here to watch for an announcement.
For more information, visit the Landforce website. Click Here to support their program. Click Here for updates on Landforce activities by email (bottom of the page).
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Resources- Workforce Training
[Posted: December 21, 2019] www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com
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